A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS by Sandra Dallas. Sewing a special quilt during the months she waits for her soldier husband to return from the Civil War, Eliza Spooner bonds with other women in the face of terrible loss and makes a difficult choice when she is asked to help an escaped slave. This wonderful, thought-provoking story is full of history and heart.

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN by Frances Mayes. Warm up this winter with the memoir that made travel to Tuscany popular and was the inspiration for many books since that combine cooking, house remodeling, and travel. Mayes, a poet and travel writer, describes her experiences in Tuscany during the restoration of her countryside villa.

THE HIDING PLACE by Corrie ten Boom. An old Dutch watchmaker and his two daughters become the center of a major underground operation: to hide Jewish refugees from the occupying Germans. They break all the rules to save the lives of men, women, and children being hunted by the Nazis. The cost of their bravery is betrayal, and they end up in the dreaded Ravensbruck concentration camp. Nevertheless, they continue their efforts to save those around them. Inspirational and moving.